In Acrimonious Salvation
by DarkennedFlower
Summary: She belonged to him, her body and soul, and from now on, only him. He may have protected her from the monsters, but who was going to save him from his own very dangerous, very REAL, demons? /SasuHina/ RATED M for DARK THEMES.
1. Prologue

**WARNING:** Dark themes. Possible: Violence/M-rated themes, / molestation, sexual themes/ swearing/ VERY TRIGGERING

* * *

**In Acrimonious Salvation**

PROLOGUE

"_Time takes it all whether you want it to or not, time takes it all. Time bares it away, and in the end there is only darkness. Sometimes we find others in that darkness, and sometimes we lose them there again_." – Stephen King

* * *

The Sakura trees had begun to flourish garnishing the schoolyard with its picturesque pink and green luster. Kids hollered their goodbyes to their companions in trifling bliss. Some waited for the bus, while others rode their bicycles, a number of them walked home unaccompanied or in garrulous packs from their highly venerated academy.

The curtains trembled tersely at the diminutive wisp of wind that reeled into the dim - lit classroom on the farthest corner of the massive constitution. Only a thin sliver of light occupied the dark room in a compellingly passive manner. The desks were arranged methodically, numbers were attached to each desk to ensure the paramount of efficiency.

Soft sobs emanated from the dimmest corner of the room, palpitating in a pathetic echo. Two figures were up adjacent to the wall, the bigger shadow pressed against the smaller one in a voracious approach. The male traced his thick fingers alongside the girl's face, trailing from her temple down to her cheeks. His other hand was placed on the wall, next to her head effectively blocking her from escaping. He continued to trace his fingers on her smooth skin; he lingered near her breast which caused the smaller girl to tremor under his touch. This only stimulated his avaricious desire.

"D-Don't…,"Her pallid eyes widened in horror, contrasting harshly with the shadows that danced on her face. She felt his fingers slithering over her stomach, and escaped under her uniform shirt caressing her hips with his callous hands. He pushed closer to her, a gasp escaped her lips, when she felt something thick and protruding through his pants while he rubbed it cruelly against her naked thighs. She regretted not wearing stockings. "S-Sensei, p-please…," Her voice trembled.

"_Fuck_," He moaned without control. Staring down in to her shirt, he eyed her chest like an unrestrained animal. "You have no idea what you do to me do you?" It wasn't a question.

The girl closed her eyes forcefully, as if she were to will hard enough the man would just vanish. That she was only dreaming this sick nightmare.

He inched closer to her face; his hot breath hit her face profusely. "I want you." A cold shiver ran through her body.

"P-please s-stop this…pl-please…," She pleaded.

His lips loitered over her's lustfully, and without warning he greedily took her mouth. His orifice was chapped, and breaking against her smooth ones. He roughly savored the cherry balm she'd applied, while he nibbled at her bottom lip. She placed her balled fists against his chest, and pushed for him to remove himself. But the man was far stronger, and her thin frame did not stand a chance against him. He only moaned, seemingly getting delight from her struggle. Tears rolled down her cheeks when she felt his tongue trying to force entry in to her mouth.

A door outside the classroom closed with an abrupt jolt, the man immediately released himself from the girl. "Shit."

Taking the chance, she quickly took her bag from a desk and sped her way to the exit. She didn't bother looking back to see if he was fallowing her. Her tears were falling far more rapidly that it soon soaked her shirt. Her footsteps echoed throughout the empty hallway.

* * *

Dark eyes stared fixedly at the piercingly sallow ceiling. Silence breached throughout the whole apartment in riotous stillness. The pall curtains had been closed, though some silvers of light were able to penetrate the dreary apartment. The lights had been shut as well, in an attempt to shield his hypersensitive eyes. The phone rang vociferously, effectively breaking him from his hazy contemplation.

He stared up at the clock, it ticked at every second. He noticed that about twenty minutes had passed since he'd fallen in his reverie. The telephone continued to annoyingly ring, as if it had a mind of its own and it wanted to get his attention by any means necessary.

He decided to let the answering machine get the call; he was in no mood to converse. In a few seconds, the phone beeped. It skipped over what was supposed to be his recording and ran straight to the message.

"Yo, teme!" The proverbial voice practically yelled. "Pick up the phone! I know you're home. You're just being a dick." A pause. "Whatever, just call back when you get this message. 'tteboy." Beep. The message ended.

The ebony – locked male decided he would answer the message much later. He stood up from his small couch, and made his way towards his counter, and grabbed his keys. He opted for a much necessitated walk to clear out his jarring thoughts. His head had been throbbing all day. He didn't bother grabbing his sweater; he liked the cool breeze from the spring air.

As he stepped outside, he couldn't help but mentally comment on how disgusting it looked. The sky was a diaphanous beryl, wispy pallid cloud hovered overhead. The spring air blew wistfully; it caressed his face soothingly.

Kids and teenagers his age were running around and talking copiously. It sickened him at how naive and ignorant they were to the real world. Their illusion would soon be wrecked when they entered reality. Where it rained sorrow day and out, where it waned the faint of heart, and broke the meek.

Were they not aware of the high suicide rates in this country this past year?

He wondered how they could so plainly disregard facts in an effort to secure their facades, that's why he cherished watching them when they finally broke. The moments when their fragile worlds just shattered from an unavoidable tragedy, or they just finally cracked when the anxiety and stress finally became just too excruciating.

He shoved his hands in to his pockets, and sustained his walk an arctic look on his attractive face. Girls giggled bashfully, as they pointed at him. They couldn't help but comment on how cool he looked, or how he was probably a model. With his strikingly ebony colored hair and sharp onyx eyes on his pale, smooth face, and six – foot, three – inch frame he could have been. He didn't bother acknowledging them; they were too much of the norm to be remotely fascinating.

A harsh bump knocked him out of his disparaging thoughts, he looked down stridently. A faint aroma of lavender and jasmine hit his senses, it was sickeningly sweet. He saw long tresses so dark they appeared a dark blue - ish hue. The person looked up; her waned eyes were a blotchy red, obviously stained from crying, and rather profusely at that, the lashes were matted from the saturation. Some strands of hair stuck to her inundated face. Her bottom lip was quivering, as if she were stopping herself from screaming. They looked bruised, he spotted a smear of what looked like lip balm.

He hid a smirk from forming on his lips. This was exactly what he took delight in. The girl's eyes were so broken that he had to stop himself from laughing in her face.

She'd probably just been thoroughly ravished and thrown a side by a boyfriend who'd lie to get her in to his bed.

Dumb bitch.

She probably deserved it.

"G-gomen!" She bowed quickly, and made her way past him, running. Her dark mane bounced and swayed at her movements, the wind blew it even more arbitrarily.

Even though she was gone, the faint scent of jasmine and lavender still lingered in the air. And though he held revulsion against the faded sweetness; he savored it auspiciously.

x

**Author's Note:** This is only the prologue, so that's why it's so short. It has no real attachment to the story, though it does kind of. Sorta. I first need to know if it's good, so I need some feedback. Yeah, that would just be lovely. I've never really written a story like this. It's dark, and yeah. I'm better at light – hearted romantic comedy, or drama. The beginning did have some very triggering aspects, so please if you're susceptible to things like this, don't read it. But if you can tell me if you enjoyed this or not? What can I fix? Review?Ne? A writer, even though she writes for herself, has to know if she's being appreciated ~


	2. In Scrutiny

**In Acrimonious Salvation**

CHAPTER I:

IN SCRUTINY

"_What do any of us have but our illusions? And what do we ask of others but that we be allowed to keep them_." – W. Somerset Maugham

"_I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each. I do not think that they will sing to me_." –T.S Eliot

"_The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice. And, because we fail to notice that we fail to notice, there is little we can do to change until we notice how our failing to notice shapes our thoughts and deeds."_ – Eugene G. Grace

* * *

The new substitute teacher for the pregnant Kurenei was attractive, _very_ attractive the female populace of Yondaime Academy decided. His long grayish hair was tied into a leisure ponytail; a few bangs expertly framed his milky colored face. His eyes were a deep hazel, but hidden by a rather big pair of glasses. He was tall and lean, yet had obvious muscles. He always had on a nervous grin, as if he had no idea what was going on. He exuded a geeky chic type vibe that all the girls just found 'so totally hot'.

However, Hyuga Hinata observed that, in fact, Kabuto Yakushi was very, very weird. The way his eyes stopped on her far longer than he did the rest of the class when introducing himself. His lingering touch when he passed out Kurenei sensei's second semester syllabus. She would feel his eyes on her when she was working or taking notes. How lecherous his smile seemed when he called her up to his desk, or how he would hover over her desk when he gave a quiz as if taking her in. Indeed, he was very, very, _very_ weird.

The first few classes of the day passed by readily. The opal – eyed girl was sitting at her desk as the sound of the bell for lunch rung. Hinata took out her homemade bento box. Before she could even open it, her two closest friends surrounded her desk with their own lunches.

"Hinata-_chaan_! This is so _oishii_!*" Yamanaka Ino exclaimed happily, as she stuffed her face with one of Hinata's bean – paste filled rice balls completely ignoring her own food. The stunning blonde girl's cobalt eyes shimmered in glee.

"Keep stuffing your face, Ino-pig! So your face can equal your hip to waist ratio." An evenly attractive cherry haired girl with emerald eyes smiled slyly. Haruno Sakura's grin widened in triumph at her 'rival's shocked reaction.

"Shut your mouth billboard brow! You're just mad because I can fit in a size two, while you're big ass forehead could barely fit a hat." She countered.

Sakura's eyes narrowed, "Excuse me, but I'll have you know my forehead is of regular proportion."

"Yeah, to that of Mars."

"Ino – pig!"

"Ugly!"

"Fatty!"

Hinata sighed, but she couldn't help but chuckle at her friends' childish antics. She knew it wasn't very nice, but their 'fights' always made her smile, because it was something that could make her forget everything bad, and focus on their trivial squalls. She always felt at peace in their presence. Despite their fights, it was always warm. They were the complete opposite to her own docile nature; she envied their ardent and assertive personalities.

"Hinata-chan, do you think I'm fat?" Ino directed her attention to the diffident girl, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"W-Wha?"

"Is my forehead really that big?" Sakura enquired solemnly pouting while rubbing her brow.

"N-No! You g-guys are p-perfect just the w-way you are." She stuttered trying to reassure the two bombshells.

Both Ino and Sakura smiled big at the girl's generous words. "Oh, Hinata-chan! You're way too cute!" They both engulfed her in a suffocating hug.

"I-I can't breathe."

They both quickly unlatched themselves from the now red – faced girl. All three burst in to laughter.

After calming down, they returned their attentions to their food, and started eating.

"Oh yeah!" Sakura suddenly remembered a huge grin now plastered on her face. "Guys I wanted to show you my new hello kitty cell phone strap! I brought it at that new American shop at the mall!" She exclaimed excitedly, she turned from her food and went to retrieve her backpack when her eyes stopped at Hinata's feet.

Sakura caught sight of Hinata's ankle as her much longer navy blue skirt skidded up at her sudden movement. She quickly took to examining it, by impulsively lifting Hinata's feet, observing the blue-ish purple wound that sheathed a large part of her legs. The said girl dropped her chopsticks at the random gesture, her eyes widened in astonishment, "S-Sakura-chan! W-What are y-"

"Are you alright Hinata-chan?"

Ino looked up from her food, and abandoned her own utensil, "What happened?

Hinata quickly draped her leg wound with the hem of skirt, and tried to unbind herself from pinkette's rather burly grip. "I-I'm fine. I misplaced my slippers, and tripped," Both Sakura and Ino looked at Hinata, and raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Wow, you need to be careful. You're so clumsy Hinata-chan." Ino tsked, while Sakura nodded in agreement.

"G-Gomen,"

"Why are you sorry? Just be more careful! You're always getting hurt! I swear you're like a porcelain doll," Sakura exclaimed almost angrily, shaking her head she released the girl's ankle.

"G-Gomen."

They both sighed.

* * *

Her mask was perfect. The one she always wore that so easily deceived even her closest friends. It beguiled him to see how such a small, feeble looking girl could be so… _conniving_. He wanted to know her secret. Though her façade was secure, he was able to see the cracks that exposed it. He was, after all, a genius.

He noted how her smile never quite reached her eyes, the way the upturn of her lips somehow always remained small, rigid, and hardly ever genuine. He noticed the guarded look behind her pallid eyes; it excited him because he wonders how much they concealed.

In his scrutiny, he began to notice the little mannerisms that showed her closed off, and introverted nature. He knew the way her eyes darted side to side whenever she was lost, or how she poked her index fingers together whenever she felt anxious. The way her face reddened at any compliment or compromising situation or the pliable twitch her body did whenever someone touched her. How she never looked anyone in the eye. He'd also seen her sporting new bruises every other day, some she poorly hid with make – up or a quick excuse. Though she was swift with her explanations, he knew she was lying; her hands would twitch diminutively every time she told a fib.

It was peculiar to him, how this timid creature could simply go on as if everything was right in the world, especially since she had some obvious monsters.

Uchiha Sasuke became intrigued.

Whenever she entered the classroom, his observant eyes would involuntarily roam to the back of her head. Analyzing, observing her, she was just so _damn_ weird. He wondered why he started to care so much. He'd learn she'd been in his class every year before their junior year, she even went to the same middle school, but he never noticed. It was perplexing because he never forgot a face, _ever_. How did she manage to evade him?

He knew her cousin, Neji Hyuga, pretty damn well, _too well_, in fact. The damn pretty boy Hyuga was his co – captain on the basketball team, and his rival. While Naruto was his rival in life, Neji was his opponent on the court, always trying to one up him. Even though Neji was his _senpai_, he was on the same level as him which caused him to swell up in great pride, especially the times he was able to best him.

The two shared identical snow eyes, the same pale skin, and the same soft yet high cheeks, their only difference lied in the older Hyuga's much more aggressive and commanding nature, while his cousin faded to the background.

He was looking at her now, sitting with the familiar pink-head and the girl version of Naruto. The two were rather boisterous, almost completely blocking out the girl. She was laughing with them, but it never seemed quite authentic. It just was.

"Sasuke!" Coolly, the ebony – haired male turned to the familiar voice.

"What do you want Kiba?" He asked a big agitated at the maroon – haired boy. The boy, Inzuka Kiba, was what could only be described as wolfish. His teeth were almost too sharp, his hair was disheveled and a bit spiky, and his brown eyes were sharp, almost canine like.

"I was just saying that I think we should try and get new jerseys, the ones we have kinda stink."

"Why are you asking me?" Sasuke shrugged, he turned to his food and began poking the sashimi without care.

"You're a co – captain, we already asked Neji, and he agreed. We just need you're 'go' before we can ask the couch."

"I don't really care, go ahead."

Kiba scoffed, "You're a captain, maybe you should, _I don't know_, care a little?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Why don't you be captain then?"

"I could be if I wanted to." The wild boy grunted. "Anyway, I just wanted to tell you our plans."

Sasuke just continued to poke his food.

After school, Sasuke walked home indolently, his thoughts were drifting inattentively in to space, while _The Killers, Framing Hanely, the Rolling Stones, _and_ Breaking Benjamin_ played the music of his life. He didn't bother detecting the flash of yellow that ran up to him, vociferously yelling his name. What snapped him out of his haze were the arms that entangled themselves around his neck, and the spiky blond hair that poked his cheeks.

"Teme, I was calling you!" Uzumaki Naruto, knucklehead extraordinaire, whined lightheartedly at the brooding male. Sasuke rolled his eyes, and took off his left ear bud to better understand the talkative blond.

"What?" He asked, not bothering to stop.

"I was asking where you were going."

"Home."

"Well, you shouldn't." said Naruto.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "And why the hell not?"

"Well… Sakura-chan invited us to karaoke with her." The blonde grinned; a light blush crept to his face while he sheepishly scratched his cheek. "And she really wanted you to-,"

"No."

"-come. Wait, what? _Noooo_. Sasuke! C'mon, you have to!" Whined Naruto incredulously, shaking his brooding friend. "It'll be like old times! We haven't hung together in awhile!"

Sasuke was sure Sakura still had a crush on him, while Naruto still vied for the pink – haired beauty adoringly. He'd been part of this love triangle since he could remember, and he was getting damn tired of it.

"I said no."

"Why not? It'll be fun!" Naruto reasoned. "Some of the guys will be there, as well as some of Sakura-chan's friends! I bet they'll be cute, too! Please. Please. Please. _Pleaseeeee_!"

"You're not going to stop till I agree to go, are you?" Sasuke reluctantly inquired.

"Nope." The blonde bared a grin. Sasuke sighed. "I'll take that as a yes! Datteboy!"

The ebony – haired male just rolled his eyes. "And where is it?"

Naruto's eyes suddenly enlarged. "Shit." He began scratching his blond locks sheepishly. "I forgot to ask Sakura – chan which karaoke bar."

* * *

After calling Sakura about three times for the directions, and a two mile walk (since they missed the bus) the two finally reached TokiDoki Karaoke Parlor. Entering the rather extravagant place, they walked over to a brown - haired girl at the front desk who wore a scanty, vibrantly dyed uniform and a practiced smile.

"_Irashaimase_! My name is Kin Yukino, how may I service you?" The girl cheerfully greeted, than blushed when she saw Sasuke.

"We're here under Haruno Sakura. We are a bit late." Naruto told her, and laughed a bit nervously. The girl looked down at her entry notebook, and scanned it.

"Oh yes! Here you are." She pointed at the notebook when she found their names. "Room 134, it's on the right, and than you far left." She opened up a drawer, took out two pink passes and handed it over to them.

"Thank you!" Naruto exclaimed, while Sasuke just remained silent.

They made their through the building corridor, and finally found the room. Naruto knocked on the door, loudly.

"What the hell!" They heard someone shout from the inside. "What do you want – oh!" A blonde with blue eyes smiled at Sasuke. "You guys made it!" She ushered them in. Sasuke breezed past her. Before letting Naruto through she hit him on the head. "Baka! Why are you so damn loud?"

"_Ow!_ Ino-chan that hurt!" Naruto pouted.

"Good! Hurry and go sit down!"

The karaoke room was quite big, and dimly – lit. However, it was almost claustrophobic due to the amount of people that were already in there. Wasn't it supposed to be like four or five people?

Sasuke inwardly rolled his eyes and sat next to Aburame Shino and Nara Shikamaru, two defensive players on the basketball team. They were both rather quiet, but Shino was weirder about it, while Shikamaru was just laid – back and preferred to be alone for purely lazy reasons. However, they were both widely intelligent, of course not as smart as _him_, but he would give them their dues.

"Whatta' drag." Groaned Shikamaru. "Why are there so many damn people? It's going to get even hotter in here."

"Oh stop complaining Shikamaru!" Ino scolded, and than turned to smile at Sasuke. "I'm glad you could make it Sasuke-kun!"

"Hn."

"Sasuke-kun, how are you?" Sakura sat in front of him a coy smile on her lips, while bashfully putting a few strands of hair behind her ears.

"Hn."

"I've really missed you, it's like we haven't seen each other in awhile." She enquired thoughtfully. "I've seen you playing basketball, you're really great, you know?" Sasuke just shrugged. "Oh! We should do a duet!"

"No."

"Oh." She looked down a bit saddened, but looked up again hopefully to ask another question. The one -sided conversation seemed to lag on for thirty minutes, but really in actuality it was only five minutes before there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it!" Naruto quickly got up. "Move it Kiba! You suck!" He yelled at the wolfish boy who was singing, "Who let the dogs out".

"Fuck you! You're probably worse than me! – who let the dogs out, woof, woof!"

"When you're done I'll show you how its done!"

Sasuke just rolled his eyes; they both sucked, and he was becoming worried for his eardrums.

He eyed Naruto as he opened the door, "Neji! Hinata-chan! You're here too?"

Sasuke's eyes widened a half a centimeter for a split second, and just as quickly returned back to its previous apathetic expression. He almost forgot that the girl was acquainted to the exasperating pink – head. He was starting to be bothered at how effortlessly this girl escaped him.

She was hiding behind her much taller cousin, a faint of a smile played on her lips.

"Hinata-chan, you made it!" Sakura exclaimed, stopping for a moment from 'conversing' with Sasuke to acknowledge her friend.

"G-Gomen, Sakura-c-chan." She was barely audible over the howling boy.

He noticed Neji's eyes stop on him, he snarled at the ebony – haired boy, probably thinking Sasuke was looking at him. Sasuke didn't bother to respond, he just averted his attention elsewhere.

"Come sit next to me Hinata-chan!" Sakura gestured the girl over; who looked up at Neji first, when he nodded, she shyly went over to Sakura after greeting Ino, who gave her a hug. Neji went over to sit next to Chouji Akimichi, a rather plump friend of Shikamaru's, who, Sasuke noticed, was always eating. Before sitting, the older Hyuga made sure to shoot another glare towards Sasuke's direction.

"Aw, Sakura – chan! That was my seat!" Naruto whined pathetically.

"Too bad!" Sakura stuck her tongue out.

"Naruto, my friend, you may sit next to me!" Rock Lee, a boy with creepily looking eyebrows, and a so very trendy bowl cut, boisterously declared.

"Ah, it's okay Lee," Naruto quickly responded. "I'll just sit next to Hinata – chan! You don't mind, ne, Hinata-chan?"

Sasuke noticed how quickly the foresaid girl reddened, and the way her eyes widened at the blond boy's enquiry. She only softly nodded. Naruto's grin widened.

"Okay your turn Narutard!" Kiba yelled after finishing his solo, a cocky grin plastered on his tannish face. "129 points beat that!" He threw the microphone to the blond, who caught it.

"No problem!" He yelled back. "Watch me Hinata – chan, I'm going to beat Kiba's score by like 200 more points!"

The girl nodded, a small coy smile played on her lips. Sasuke noticed how this smile was different from her other ones, her eyes were lit with what he could only describe as adoration.

"Sasuke – kun, we should go next." Sakura told him, when he ignored her, she turned her attention to Hinata, who was still eyeing the blond. "Hinata – chan are you going to sing?"

The opal – eyed girl shook her head, "I-I c-can't sing."

"Okay, everyone! Today a rock star is BORN!" Naruto yelled. "You ready? Let's go!" the blonde started singing,( or more accurately yelling) "Remember the Name". He practically slurred all the rap parts.

However, terrible Naruto 'sang', for some odd reason, he noticed the girl's awe inspired face, the shy blush that crept on her features and the completely open look in her insipid eyes. The slightly parting of her lips, the poking of the index fingers. Just the complete doting look on her pale face.

It annoyed him completely.

When her snowy eyes accidently flickered to his own night ones, he glared, almost formidably. She turned away from a fraction of a second later, her body stiffened.

"Haha, ohmygod, Naruto you suck! You barely got 40 points!"

"Shut up! This damn thing is broken!"

* * *

Softly shutting the door of now very boisterous karaoke room, Hinata sighed inwardly. Her throat had become parched, and it wasn't because she had been singing. The room was lividly hot, and sitting next to Naruto had left her particularly warm as well, she never thought she could blush so much. She had been this close to the blond since forever, and she now remembered how tiring his personality was, albeit worth the exhaustion. She loved that immaculate smile, and the kind blue eyes.

She made her way down the corridor, and found a water fountain, with cups. She took one of the small plastic cups, and poured the liquid. She drank it; the cool water soon soothed her parched throat in which she relieved a heavy sigh.

After throwing the cup away, she made her way back towards the room.

Before she could continue on, her eyes caught a long, lean frame wearing the all – black male uniform for her school, dark locks, with arms crossed around his chest. It was Sasuke Uchiha. Sakura's rambling and ogling about her crush suddenly seeped through her mind.

He lifted himself from the wall, his onyx eyes locked on her, rendering her to a halt. Her mind flickered to the brief tensing moment from before. She didn't know why but she suddenly felt completely naked.

He stopped right in front of her, his dark eyes penetrated into her's, as if he was searching for something. Staring up in to his eyes which her hooded by thick dark lashes, she felt as if she was being engulfed by darkness.

A cold shiver ran through her body.

"U-Uchiha – s-san?" What did he want? She's never ever been this close to him; he's never spared her so much as a second glance before. He was the brooding, unreachable bad boy that every girl vied for. Prior to moment, she never existed under his radar. And now, she had to confess that she liked it that way.

He was looking at her, scrutinizing her, as if he were analyzing her very being. She didn't know why but she was afraid.

"You," He began, in an arctic tenor. "Like Naruto." His voice remained low, and vital.

Her white eyes amplified considerably at his bold statement. How, what –?

He descended to her eye - level, his marble - like attractive face remained detached, but not his eyes; they burned her with the lividness they held.

"It's pathetic."

Without much warning, he left, as if he had never talked to her, as if she never even existed.

She felt cold.

* * *

He couldn't have been wrong, he was never wrong.

Sasuke entered the empty – always empty – apartment. He didn't bother turning on the lights, he found his way to his room through the darkness with ease. He placed his backpack on the couch, his keys on the counter and made his way to his bedroom. He didn't feel like changing.

He laid down on his giant bed; it was big enough for two people. He looked up at the ceiling, staring up into nothingness. His eyes could not make up anything in the darkness, exempt streaks of moonlight that danced on his wooden floor.

While everything was eerily tranquil, his mind was racing, almost violently. He narrowed his eyes in pure agitation. He's never felt so discombobulated, he felt as if he was losing control. Usually, everything around him easily bent to his will, everything was always so damn banal.

He closed his eyes.

Widened, ashen snow eyes framed by thick dark lashes stared in horror.

Pouty pink lips parted softly in discomfort.

The ghost scent of jasmine and lavender wavered briefly through his senses.

His eyes opened.

Nothing.

**Author's Note: **Okay, now the story can actually begin xD It's a bit slow, I suppose. And really nothing 'dark' happened yet, but it's only the first chapter. Be patient my lovelies~ Thank you for the reviews. Oh and **kandita**, no, there will be no vampires. I'm not much of a fun of vampire fics. Sorry. Please be patient with me, for awhile it will be confusing, very confusing, but it will add up _eventually._

_**[SPOILER] **_OMG MY BABY IS DEAD! NEJI IS DEAD?! ?! # !$?# $ NO NO NO! WHAT THE HELL?! I SHALL NOT ACCEPT THIS. IN ALL MY FANFICS HE WILL FOREVER LIVE ON! HYUGA POWER! FUCK YOU KISHIMOTO!

-cough-


	3. In Vulnerability

I really hope everyone likes this chapter! Thank you for all the reviews, I truly appreciate and it keeps me writing! This chapter is dedicated to **kandita**, because well your detailed review just made me so happy. Thank you. I hope this chapter does not disappoint.

* * *

**In Acrimonious Salvation**

CHAPTER II:

IN VULNERABILITY

"_Lost, so small amid that dark, hands grown cold, body image fading down corridors of television sky_." – William Gibson

"_Quiet monsters try on our empty skins. A better fit, a swollen precision. She takes comfort in her broken gods, as powerless as they are, it's always sharp. – The end is weak, strangling under the haunt of freedom. The beginning is merciless_." - Unknown

* * *

The sun had decided it would be absent today. The clouds loomed over, shrouding the school in extensive shadows, despite it being one in the afternoon. Though the weather was relatively cool and clement, most groaned at the lack of beauty.

Sasuke wrote the last of the outline in his history assignment, pretending to be concerned about his studies. Deciding it was better to look diligent and occupied so people wouldn't bother him.

When he sees a flash of pink and the scent of cherries and oranges, he reluctantly looks up in exasperation. "Sasuke-kun!" The proverbial shrill voice and adoring emerald eyes looks down at him in enthusiasm.

"Sakura." He deadpans. He wasn't really in the mood for this.

"I didn't get to thank you for coming to karaoke with us last week. Though you left early, it was really fun. You didn't get to sing." She pouted, and placed a few locks of candy colored hair behind her ears sheepishly. "Maybe next time we could sing our duet." She beamed at him that signature charming thousand watt smile.

"Hn." That little 'party' last week made him unyielding to his decision that he absolutely loathes karaoke. And not because of the awful lack of talent or the damage done to his hearing. But because he feels that he not only had he wasted his time being 'fascinated' by that bland little _mouse_, she made him look like a fool. He felt cheated that he had so carefully scrutinized that girl, and not only was he wrong but she was also terribly pathetic. He almost felt warranted to demand that she give back his time.

"Ah, Sasuke – kun, do you need help studying? We could swap some notes or something?" Sakura enquired; breaking him from his train of thought.

He sighs; resisting an urge to roll his eyes, and closes his book. "No. I'm fine, Sakura."

"Are you sure?" She questions, he doesn't answer. "Okay than… Uh, I could stay here if you want me too. I mean it is my free period. I wouldn't mind keeping you company."

He represses an irritated groan. "Actually, I'm leaving." Standing from his chair, he takes his bag from the chair and makes his way past the rosy – haired girl, not bothering to look back.

"Oh. Okay. Bye, Sasuke-kun!"

Making his way through the surprisingly lightly occupied hallway, he decides to go to his locker to place his heavy history book away. He feels slightly goaded at the way his week has been going.

For some atypical rationale, he can't seem to get that annoying mouse's face out of his head. It vexes him that even though he's deemed her mundane, she refuses to retreat from his mind. Though he does make it habit to completely elude her or spare her a single glance, he does find that he has become largely sentient of her existence, far more than before. The thought makes him realize that she hasn't been in study hall.

He closes his locker door with a minute grunt, and continues to make his way to wherever his feet decides to lead him.

What interrupts him his course is a resonance of a slap ricocheting from the room in front of him, accompanied by a condescending scolding saying, "You're such a little whore you know that?"

Arching an eyebrow he walks up to the door, it was slightly open and he peers in. It was a trio of girls, impending over what he could only conclude as another girl who was slumped down on her knees, holding her raw, newly bruised cheek. The victim's head was lowered; her lengthy bangs shielded her eyes. Sasuke only concluded that the three girls attacking the one girl were dismal but the dupe was even more pathetic.

"I don't know what makes you think you can act all cheeky with Sakura and Ino and than all chummy with the guys. Your cousin only hangs out with you because he _has_ too." The girl in the middle sneered, and snorted when the girl remained silent. "I mean, at least Sakura and Ino are pretty. But you – you're useless and ugly. It's disgusting how you cling to them." The ring leader spat.

_Wait._

Sasuke didn't have much time to register his thoughts when fair lavender eyes gazed up from beneath the veil of locks, surprisingly absent of tears, as if she were used to this, accustomed to it, expecting it. He realized that she was looking straight at him – she knew he was there.

One of the girls, a blonde one, gripped her by the hair and forced her head back down to look at the ground.

Sasuke felt compelled to barge in there and stop the whole mess; it was despicable, and pitiable, really. Picking on such a diminutive girl, transferring such vain insecurities and anger due to the lack of their own self worth was just plain _disgusting_.

But he didn't.

He wasn't her savior.

_I was right, she is pathetic._

* * *

Slender fingers trailed effortlessly over the ivory keys of the piano, emitting the sorrow – filled notes of the '_Moonlight Sonata_'. Caressing the keys smooth texture, she closed her eyes allowing herself to feel the music. She willed her fingers to try and imitate the passion Beethoven had intended, but at the same time allowing her own raw emotions to convoy the notes. The pain, the frustration, the sadness, the loneliness, and the anger overwhelmed the room along with the music.

When playing the piano, it was the only time she could _feel_. The only she felt as if she were allowed to convey any emotion besides the accepted content. The music permitted her the sensation of being airborne, and for that she was entirely grateful. It satiated the lull in her heart that frequently felt so bitterly vacant. It allowed her to let go - to _forget_.

When the song ends, she softly touches her cheek tracing over the fresh band – aid that so gracelessly brandishes her face. It's not fair that she allows herself to feel so weak, to _be_ so weak. And the accusing look of night tinted eyes never makes it any better. After the little incident over a week, she's become conscious of the trenchant abyss colored orbs, always seemingly blaring, telling of her irrelevance.

The brusque sound of clapping emitted from behind her, snapping her briskly from her reverie.

"Hinata – chan! Shit! You're just too good!" A blush grazed the said girl's cheeks as she looked at the orange haired female, who was grinning from ear to ear. Hinata quickly shut the piano, and turned to face the woman in embarrassment.

"A-Ah…G-Gomen, Tayuya - s-sensei, I didn't m – mean to come without t-telling you."

The older attractive female waved dismissively at her apology, and just continued to grin. "I promised you can use the music room whenever you wanted."

And for that Hinata was eternally indebted, her father no longer tolerated her playing the piano. For two years now, the extravagant ebony piano in her home stayed cold, it's only use was decoration. A month ago, she had stumbled in to the rarely used music room in the farthest corner of the school. She wasn't even sure how she had staggered in to the room, but the piano had caught her attention, and before she knew it her fingers glided over the ivory keys in recollection. Even after two years, she had never forgotten how to play. Tayuya, the music teacher, had found her in there. She believed she would have gotten in to trouble, but was surprised when she was given permission to use it, before and after school, and if she had a free period. So long as she helped keep the room clean, since dust recurrently collected in the surfaces of the aged room. Hinata did not mind, it was only a small price to pay to feel again.

School had just ended about fifteen minutes ago; she had been able to slip past her friends. Though, she felt guilty about not just telling them where she was going, she had just wanted this one piece of privacy to herself.

"T-Thank y-you again, s-sensei." She lightly bowed to the older women.

"It's alright! But damn, are you sure you don't want to join the music club? We need some talent," The female teacher winked.

"A-Ano, I-I can't, I'm so-sorry."

"I know, I know." Tayuya groaned, and than smiled. "It's alright. But my offer still stands."

Hinata nodded graciously, a small smile graced her lips. "T-thank you!"

The older women quirked an eyebrow as she quickly skimmed the smaller girl's features. "What happened to your cheek?" She asked concern laced in her usually booming voice.

"A-Ah," Hinata instinctively touched her cheek. "P-Papercut.."

Tayuya's face contorted to one of understanding. "Oh, I see. Must hurt like a bitch, huh?" She questioned. Hinata's face brightened at the older woman's use of such course language. Tayuya didn't seem to notice. "So how long are you staying? I'm going to have to lock up soon."

"O-Oh! I was just about to g-go."

"Are you sure?" The red – head enquired, raising an eyebrow in doubt.

"H-Hai."

"You know, I can just make you a key."

"E-Eh? N-No, it's o-okay! I don't wish to cause i-issues."

"No, it's no problem. I'm not going to be here next week anyway. So, I'll get you a key tomorrow. So you can play whenever you want. Alright, kiddo?"

"A-Ano, are y-you sure…" Hinata poked her index fingers together lightly. "T-thank you sensei."

"No problem."

Hinata smiled, taking her russet colored backpack from the floor, and stood up. She went to the door, and gave her another smile and a pliable gesture of goodbye prior to opening the door. As soon as she stepped out of the room, her face connected with hard material. She quickly bowed when she realized she'd bumped in to someone. "G-Gomennasai!"

"Hyuga-san?"

Hinata looked up, and stared in to dark hazel eyes. "Yakushi-s-sensei! I-I'm so sorry! I-I didn't s-see you."

Kabuto smiled down at the girl, "It's alright. I was only looking for Kiba; he was supposed to help me bring some prints from the print room after school today. It's his punishment for failing that quiz yesterday. Good job on your 98 by the way."

She blushed at the praise. "T-Thank you… A-Ah, I-I can help you sensei." Hinata offered, not wanting Kiba to get in trouble for skipping out on his punishment.

"Are you sure? Aren't you occupied?" He said looking at Tayuya, who was walking up to them. He pushed his glasses back on to the rim of his nose with his index finger. "I don't want to get you in to trouble."

"Oh no, she's fine. We're done here." Tayuya answered, while putting on her coat. "Hinata just likes to use the music room sometimes after school." She shooed them from the door and locked it.

Kabuto looked back down at the girl. "Well, if you aren't busy, I would really appreciate you're help, Hyuga-san."

Hinata softly nodded, "I don't m-mind."

"Well I'll see you tomorrow, Hinata! Bye, Kabuto!" The red – headed teacher waved to the duo, they waved back. She walked the opposite of them, turned a corner, and disappeared, though her steps still echoed in the dark hallway.

"I guess we should get started, I don't want to keep you." He offered a diminutive smile, while once again shifting his glasses on the rim of his nose. She nodded in response.

It didn't take long to get to the printing room, though it was on the second floor. Kabuto shifted through his pocket in search of the keys and took out a big band filled with numerous keys. He laughed nervously. "Ah, sorry Hyuga-san, this might take awhile."

"I-It's alright." She reassured him.

After a couple tries at finding the right key, he finally found the one that fit. He opened the door, and motioned for her to go in, after repeating something about 'ladies go first', and walked in after her, shutting the door. The room was rather small, and the big printer took much of the space.

"I only need to print the 300 copies, back and front; I don't want to use too much paper. And than stamp them, than bring them back to the class." Hinata nodded. "Thank you, this would take much longer if I had to do them by myself." Kabuto went over to the pile of clean white papers; he took a thick cluster of them, and went over to the machine. He filled in the paper holder, placed in the original dissertation, and put in the combination to print in the amount he wanted.

Hinata shifted nervously in the corner, unsure of what to do. She nervously toyed with the hem of her skirt.

"Would you mind getting me that brown container?" Hinata looked up quickly breaking from her blank thought haze.

"H-Hai." She located the carton, and handed it to him. His hands glazed over her's, causing the small girl to stiffen. She looked at him, and noticed him staring at her. She didn't know why, but a cold tremor overwhelmed her body. She didn't like this. Not one bit.

His gaze held the similar intensity in class, every time she caught him staring at her... She didn't know if it was just her imagination or not, but it made her anxious. She quickly retreated back to her corner, and went back to dubiously staring at her feet.

"You are very helpful, Hyuga-san. Thank you." She looked up, and nodded. "Do you mind if I call you Hinata-chan? I know it'd be terribly unprofessional of me, but I'd like to be friends with my students."

"Ya-Yakushi-se-sensei…" Her face reddened.

"You can call me Kabuto, I don't wish for you to be so formal with me. It makes me feel old." He chuckled, what would seem nervously to seem, but it echoed only with predatory intent to Hinata. This was all too familiar.

She felt her heart palpating intensely in her chest. She couldn't make out his eyes, due to the light from outside that danced on his glasses producing a gleam of radiance that played over them. The ambiance in the room shifted unnervingly, becoming almost unbearable. She couldn't breathe; the oxygen seemed to almost completely evaporate.

"A-Ano…"

"You know, Hinata-chan, you're very pretty, if you don't mind me saying." It didn't take much for him to be next to her since the room was already quite small. He was staring down at her. Hinata noticed he was almost a full head taller than her. She could almost feel the sensation of his breath on her face. An unreadable emotion danced in his hazel eyes that made her stomach churn painfully. "Do you find me attractive, Hinata-chan?" She really didn't like the way her name sounded on his lips, it sounded sullied, almost vile. She gripped the hem of her skirt tightly, and darted her opal eyes away from him, and closed them firmly. She felt the coolness of his fingers softly trail down her cheek.

She really regretted coming. She felt so powerless, so _vulnerable_.

Was she always meant to be this way?

She hadn't even noticed that he'd detached himself from her space; she was too focused on the rapid beating of her heart.

"I'm sorry if I've made you uneasy." He quelled, he was back to the printing machine.

Hinata quickly looked at him, unsure of what to say. "…its okay, y-you… didn't." She lied. She turned away from him, uncertain of what to do.

She hated this.

She really did.

* * *

"Yo!"

"You're late." Letting out a growl of frustration, Sasuke turned to the fair haired man who stood over him. The older man took a seat across from him, a mischievous glint in his dark colored eyes. Sasuke thinned his eyes at the man's carless shrug. "I'm leaving."

"Oh, c'mon Sasuke, don't be so sour. I just had some business that needed to be taken care of."

"Kakashi, you told me to meet you here an _hour_ ago. I don't have time for this. I'm tired. I just came from basketball practice."

"So you're doing well?" The older man acquired. Sasuke just rolled his eyes. "I'm glad; I thought you would have a hard time adjusting to that school like the previous ones. You're even doing a sport." Kakashi wiped a faux tear from his eyes.

"Whatever. I was just getting sick of moving around." Sasuke retorted.

"Well, as long as you're fitting in well. Naruto goes there too, right?"

"Is that all you wanted?" The ebony – haired male narrowed his eyes at the man in front of him in annoyance.

"Oh Sasuke, I'm just trying to be a good guardian." Kakashi feigned hurt. "How's the apartment? I wish I could come there more often, but you know too many enemies, and all that." Sasuke just rolled his eyes. It's not like he was an idiot. Since Kakashi was a government agent, his job not only contained him to either the inner city or frequent travel, but he was also a danger to those close to him since throughout his career he's obtained many that wanted to, well, kill him. Kakashi had been his guardian for quite some time, though throughout most of it he remembers being by himself.

"Whatever. Is that it? I want to go home."

"Oh c'mon Sasuke, you just got here." The older man waved off his announcement of departure.

"Well some of us have things to do."

"Would you like to order anything?" A young attractive girl with short blonde hair came to their table. She blushed when both good-looking males turned their interest to her.

"Yes."

"_No_."

Sasuke bit back a growl at the older man. Kakashi just grinned. "Don't mind him. My brother's just a bit cranky. Isn't that right Sasuke – _chan?"_ He leaned over to ruffle the younger, brooding male's mane. The blonde waitress blushed even redder at this; the scene was just too unbearably _cute._ "I'll just take a coffee, with extra cream and sugar."

"W-Would that be all?"

"I don't know. _You_ tell me."

The girl looked like her face could possibly explode from his comment. "I-I,"

"Don't you have a job to do?" Sasuke barked irritated. The girl quickly snapped out of her discomfiture and bowed before scurrying away to complete the order.

"Aw, c'mon, Sasuke. That was mean." The said boy just snarled in response.

"You're a pervert; she's way too young for you."

"Age is nothing but a number, don't you know?"

"If that's true then a cell is nothing but a room."

Kakashi shook his head at the boy's petulance, and than his eyes softened.

He's always felt culpable when it came to Sasuke. He regrets that he couldn't – and can't be there for Sasuke as much as he would have liked. The teenager had gone through so much, especially for one so young. Though he's pleased Sasuke seems to be maturing and expanding out of his 'shell'.

He's had his own fair share of an onerous life, but he knew he could hardly comprehend the extent of Sasuke's hurt that was competently hid behind a dexterous veil of apathy.

He remembers the first five years of what seemed like pure hell for Sasuke. He would go through the house not uttering a single word, his dark eyes vacant; closed off to the world. He would seldom eat, he had to regrettably, forcefully place food and vitamin tablets in the boy's water.

Than at nighttime, his screams would pierce the house in such terrorizing shrieks that it caused even him to turn cold. He internally shudders at the memory. He didn't blame Sasuke; in fact it was very understandable that he would be plagued with such nightmares. Especially concerning what had happened…

"Are you okay?"

He noticed the sharp turn of the boy's head at his query. His obscure eyes narrowed in masked contempt, though his face remained fiercely impassive.

"I'm leaving." This time Kakashi didn't stop him.

He knew he couldn't.

* * *

As always, entering her abode felt so bitterly cold, even though the heating worked perfectly. She takes a big breath, sighs, and closes the door behind her. Her house was impractically large, big enough four at least four families, though it only housed her, her father, Hanabi, and Neji. Though at times, thankfully, the servants made it seem much livelier than it really was. It was beautifully decorated, combining conventional Japanese architecture and design with European proposes. All the artifacts that resided in the mansion were costly, the paintings were professionally made, and the vases were specially imported. In short it wasn't a _home_. It hadn't been for three years.

After making her way up the flight of stairs, Hinata notices Neji isn't there yet. _He must still be in basketball practice._ She idly thinks.

Making her way to her room, she closes the large door with a soft click, and softly drops her bag on the floor. She picks up the photo of a woman with navy colored tresses combed up in a bun, and waned pale eyes. Softly, she traces the woman's features.

She starts to wonder if it's her fault everything has gone this way. If every bad thing that ever happens them, to her, is her own fault, and that she deserves it. She's retreated even deeper in to her shell, learning well to hide herself. She no longer cries when ill things happen to her, because she knows she deserves it. Tears are only for the innocent.

Three rigid knocks compel her from her reverie. She quickly places the portrait back on the auburn tinted bureau and makes her way to the door. "I-I'm coming." She opens the door, and her eyes softly widen in familiarity. "H-Hanabi."

"Father wishes to see you." A young girl with silky coffee colored tresses, and a navy colored middle - school uniform spoke.

"O-Oh, y-yes." Hinata clumsily exits her room and closes the door.

As she makes her way to her father's courters on the far left of the hallway, the sound of Hanabi's voice hinder her in her tracks. "Nee-chan."

Hinata looks back at her younger sister, "Y-Yes?"

She is almost thrown off by the potent look of disdain her sister's gaze possesses in her beautifully wintry eyes.

"I hate you, you know?"

_I know._

* * *

_He was floating in an abyss of fathomless darkness, he felt light as if weighing less than a dove's feather, yet at the same a growing pain rested upon the pits of his stomach weighing him down in intense pressure. He wonders if he has died. He wasn't anywhere, and it had already felt like he had been trapped there for an eternity. _

_If this was death, he wonders, what were so many people afraid of? It was an eerily tranquil sort of stillness. He felt nothing, absolutely nothing; simply lost in his own thoughts. He could not remember his name, who he was, where he was from, it was like he was a nonentity. _

_Cold dread swept through his entire being, at the sudden shift of strain in the darkness. It left him struggling to breathe._

_The gravity in the realm seemed to have turned on; so he fell and fell._

_As he descended, the world around him began to taint dark crimson; it began to reek like blood and putrid flesh._

_He did not expect his landing to be soft, but his lungs still felt constricted and the fetid smell did not make it any better. A bitter gargle escaped his arid throat._

_Finally getting used to the stench of this new dominion, he stood fully upright. _

_What in the world was going on? Was this hell? If it was, where was the inferno, the wailing spirits of the damned? Satan? He looks down at his hand, and notices the large imprints of blood on them. He notices that everything was saturated with it; he was no longer the exception because it completely coated his clothing._

_A dark, bitter laugh filled the dimension; it caused his skin to erupt in tight goose bumps. The laughter held a cynical familiarity to it that wholly chilled him._

_A piercing sensation ran through his stomach, his eyes widened. He looked down, it was a dagger; it had been deeply rooted in to his abdomen. It was too late when he realizes he was now bound to a wooden post, harsh ropes scathed his skin implacably._

_A second dagger was plunged in to his chest, an inch near his heart. He coughed out blood, and the sticky substance mixed with his saliva uncouthly trails down his chin. That was when he heard the unrelenting screams of people in pain, crying, praying for salvation, to be rescued. Mixed with the taunting laugher, the cries made him feel as if his mind was edging to madness; he wonders if he was not already there. _

_The third dagger, this time, was plummeted in to his heart, twists and he screams. And he remembers._

_He __**remembers**__._

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the wait guys! I've just finished midterms, and yadayada, I failed. Mostly, probably precalculus. And in Japanese I got a 71! Because I am in idiot, I missed a compel of questions. And for some peculiar reason I truly believed I could study for each exam the day before. NEVER _EVER_ DO THAT OKAY GUYS? Ms GPA is going to be killed. Even worse I am taking three fucking APs, and those aren't the classes I am doing bad in, it's my regular courses (Japanese and PreCalculus). Oh, god. I've never failed, I am so scared that I might get a D for Precalculus, the 71 is actually my lowest final grade, and well I want to cry. Though I did get a 100 on an essay for AP English – woot, woot!

Anyway, I'm going to try and explain some things that might be confusing for some people.

Well, Sasuke's attraction to Hinata is complicated. He also has some physcological issues that will be unraveled throughout the story. That's pretty much what this is going to be about, a façade wearing physco who has complicated attractions to a broken girl, with violence, blood, possible sexual things thrown in there.. So this will kinda be like a mystery too ~ Oh and I hoped I answered to why Sasuke's been living alone. Isn't Kakashi funny? Oh, and btw, Kabuto plays a much larger role than just Hinata's , er, _molester._ Lol. I picked Kabuto because, honestly, I'm still confused to this day on why he saved her during the chunin exams. Damn, she's always getting spared by villains, lol.

I would love to hear what people think is going to happen, I want to try to make this as unpredictable as I can, though there might be some clichés, I am trying to take a new spin on SasuHina highschool fanfics. I hope people enjoyed this, and it was worth the wait! Review ;D Constructive or Praise, or yeah~ Hehe.

Btw, I am still upset about Neji's death, VERY VERY UPSET. I'm a broken girl guys. I just love the Hyuga's so much. But I feel like Hinata and Sasuke both now have even more in common. Siblings (Neji is like Hinata's bro!) who would die for them without a second thought, and sacrificial for Konoha. Sigh. I have an idea for this, but my heart is going to hurt throughout it.


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